The Cell of Self-Knowledge: Seven Early English Mystical Treatises | Page 8

heaven.
The three remaining treatises--the Epistle of Prayer, the Epistle of
Discretion in Stirrings of the Soul, and the Treatise of Discerning of
Spirits[19]--are associated in the manuscripts with four other works:
the Divine Cloud of Unknowing, the Epistle of Privy Counsel, a
paraphrase of the Mystical Theology of Dionysius entitled Dionise Hid

Divinity, and the similar translation or paraphrase of the Benjamin
Minor of Richard of St. Victor already considered.[20] These seven
treatises are all apparently by the same hand. The Divine Cloud of
Unknowing has been credited to Walter Hilton, as likewise to William
Exmew, or to Maurice Chauncy, Carthusians of the sixteenth century,
whereas the manuscripts are at least a hundred years earlier than their
time; but it seems safer to attribute the whole series to an unknown
writer of the second part of the fourteenth century, who "marks a
middle point between Rolle and Hilton."[21] The spiritual beauty of the
three here reprinted--and, more particularly, of the Epistle of Prayer,
with its glowing exposition of the doctrine of Pure Love--speaks for
itself. They show us mysticism brought down, if I may say so, from the
clouds for the practical guidance of the beginner along this difficult
way. And, in the Epistle of Discretion, we find even a rare touch of
humour; where the counsellor "conceives suspiciously" of his
correspondent's spiritual stirrings, lest "they should be conceived on the
ape's manner." Like St. Catherine of Siena, though in a less degree, he
has the gift of vision and the faculty of intuition combined with a
homely common sense, and can illustrate his "simple meaning" with a
smile.
I have borrowed a phrase from St. Catherine, "The Cell of
Self-Knowledge," la cella del cognoscimento di noi, as the title of this
little volume. Knowledge of self and purity of heart, the mystics teach,
are the indispensable conditions for the highest mystical elevation.
Knowledge of self, for Richard of St. Victor, is the high mountain apart
upon which Christ is transfigured; for Catherine of Siena, it is the
stable in which the pilgrim through time to eternity must be born again.
"Wouldest thou behold Christ transfigured?" asks Richard; "ascend this
mountain; learn to know thyself."[22] "Thou dost see," writes
Catherine, speaking in the person of the eternal Father, "this sweet and
loving Word born in a stable, while Mary was journeying; to show to
you, who are travellers, that you must ever be born again in the stable
of knowledge of yourselves, where you will find Him born by grace
within your souls."[23] The soul is a mirror that reflects the invisible
things of God, and it is by purity of heart alone that this mirror is made
clear. "Therefore," writes Richard of St. Victor, "let whoso thirsts to
see his God, wipe his mirror, purify his spirit. After he hath thus

cleared his mirror and long diligently gazed into it, a certain clarity of
divine light begins to shine through upon him, and a certain immense
ray of unwonted vision to appear before his eyes. This light irradiated
the eyes of him who said: Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy
countenance upon us; Thou hast put gladness in my heart. From the
vision of this light which it sees with wonder in itself, the mind is
wondrously inflamed and inspired to behold the light which is above
itself."[24]
Pepwell's volume has been made the basis of the present edition of
these seven treatises; but, in each case, the text has been completely
revised. The text of the Benjamin, the Epistle of Prayer, the Epistle of
Discretion, and the Treatise of Discerning of Spirits, has been collated
with that given by the Harleian MSS. 674 and 2373; and, in most cases,
the readings of the manuscripts have been adopted in preference to
those of the printed version. The Katherin has been collated with
Caxton's Lyf; the Margery Kempe with Wynkyn de Worde's precious
little volume in the University Library of Cambridge; and the Song of
Angels with the text published by Professor Horstman from the Camb.
MS Dd. v. 55. As the object of this book is not to offer a Middle
English text to students, but a small contribution to mystical literature,
the orthography has been completely modernised, while I have
attempted to retain enough of the original language to preserve the
flavour of mediaeval devotion.
EDMUND G. GARDNER.

I.
HERE FOLLOWETH A VERY DEVOUT TREATISE, NAMED
BENJAMIN, OF THE MIGHTS AND VIRTUES OF MAN'S SOUL,
AND OF THE WAY TO TRUE CONTEMPLATION, COMPILED
BY A NOBLE AND FAMOUS DOCTOR, A MAN OF GREAT
HOLINESS AND DEVOTION, NAMED RICHARD OF SAINT
VICTOR
A TREATISE NAMED BENJAMIN
THE PROLOGUE

A GREAT clerk that men call [25] Richard of Saint Victor, in a book

that he maketh of the